Voices from the Tongass—A Call to Action

The first in a series documenting the urgent need to protect Americas Rainforest—Alaskas Tongass National Forest—from imminent logging. Based on interviews with local residents, Voices of the Tongass reveals in powerful personal terms what is at stake in preserving this ancient forest of towering old-growth trees, glacier capped mountains, and salmon-filled streams.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• tongass
• forest
• timber
• lands
• environment
• logging

[afgdrbhyz]

spongebob brought me here..

[sunluvinbum]

In all honesty, I don't think that clear cutting any forest is a good thing. BUT... logging is something that will never stop. If we were to stop logging all together then what would happen. Lowes, Home Depot and every other lumber supplier around the world would close. No new houses, no putting in those new cabinets in your kitchen. No repairing decks, roofs, or any other structure built with wood. We would essentially be taking a huge step back in time and have to start living in tents.

[sunluvinbum]

There would be no clearing of a lot to build a new house because you could not cut down the trees on the land to make room for the foundation of said house. In reality, banning logging is just not going to happen. The U.S.F.S. has put strict guide lines in place to keep the Alaska Tongass forest from being clear cut. To many people jump to arms and cry wolf at the slightest hint of a "reason" to protest something. I have grown up in Alaska, and I see less and less logging every year.

[sunluvinbum]

The real issue is that I would guess about 75% of all trees and lumber logged in the US is shipped over seas. If people really want to cut down on the logging, then they should first look at cutting down on the amount of exported lumber out of the US. That in-turn would provide more lumber for the US consumer and also bring the logging to a minimum. There would not be such a high demand for logging sites with less lumber being exported.

[sunluvinbum]

But eh, that is just my thoughts on it. Oh and on one last note, Alaska is amazingly beautiful in every aspect of the word. Everybody should make it a point in their life time to take a trip up and enjoy the beauty. Just keep in mind, you may fall in love with it in the summer, but don't plan on moving up until after you try to spend a full winter up here. lol Cabin fever can have you selling your new house mighty fast.

[rozl66]

@HEMIBOYS You are clearly a manufactured moron by the system! Those forests took hundreds upon hundreds of years to become so dense and huge! You more then likely probably live in a Ghetto with no understanding of the beauty and miracle these forests have to life. Your a product of a broken corrupt system and your parents were looser trolls for breeding you!

[rozl66]

This is pathetic how the US Govt would even allow this! What pisses me off the most about this crisis is that the US Govt. could grow HEMP and use it for most of what they are manufacturing from those majestic tress they are cutting down with NO REGARD to anything but sheer PROFIT! this needs to STOP!

[nomissimon96]

@HEMIBOYS yeah... but that takes like 100years ...